Signal device



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R. L. FRENCH Aug. 14, 1923.

SIGNAL DEVICE Filed Sent. 29, 1922 as; m em Patented nag. re, 1923;

ri vi r Q RALEIGH t. FRENCH, NEW Yon-K, n. r.

SIGNAL DEVICE.

i Application filed September 29,

T 0 all 'LOitOWZ it may concern Be it known that I, T LEIGH L. FRENCH, acitizen of the Uri-ed rotates, and resident of New York, in the eountyofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulimprovements in Signa l Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention relates to improvements in signal devices adapted to beattached to motor vehicles for indicating the relative position andintended movement thereof with respect to the road.

Among the objects of the present invention are means for directing therays of light from a single lamp to constitute a rearwardly projectingtail or safety light, a forwardly projecting parking light, and theillumination both for a license plate and a pair of signal arms; also toprovide an arm structure adapted to readily reflect the light and toafford strengthening means therefor and a protection for the illuminatedface against the action of the weather; also to provide means foroperating the arms in dependently of each other and to hold the same inthe desired position of observation.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvanta es there of, reference will be had to the rollowing descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

Figure 1-0f the drawings is a face view showing the device in operativeposition as observed from a following car. Figure 2, a vertical sectionshowing the relation of the several operating parts with respect to oneanother. Figure 3, ahorizontal section taken on the line 3-3, Fig. 2,AndFigure i is a view, partially in section, of the operating means forthe signal arms, as con trolled by the driver of the car. 7

In the drawings, numeral 10 designates a cylindrical case, having at itslower end a detachable head 11, forming the upper part of. a shortstandard 12, the lower flange of which is adapted to be fixed to theupper face of'a rear-wheel mud-guard, indicated by the line 13. Atitsupper end the casing is formed with an integral head 14:, whichmerges into the walls of a lamp-chamber 15 having a rearwardly extendingtail-light passage provided with the lens 16, the charm her being alsoprovided with lenses l7 and lose. Serial No. 591,342.

18 disposed to forwardly project the rays of light from the lamp 19,suitably arranged within the chamber an connected with the electric wire20. The rays of light from the lamp 19 are furthermore divid d and projeeted through the passage 21, formed through the lower wall of theprojecting section of the lamp chamber, the passage'being covered by thetransparent facing 22, through which the rays of light 19 are directedupon the license plate 23, the latter being conveniently fixed.- uponthe casing 10 by the braclrets 24. For jointly directing the rays oflight and for protecting the working parts of the device against theweather, the casing is provided with the upper guard wall 25 andthe-side walls 26, the former wall being joined at its outer end to thecase by the upright stop member 27.

The upper head 14 of the casing is'provided' with a hub 28, in which isrotatably mounted a tubular shaft 29, loosely sur rounding the solidshaft 30, the latter being rotatablv journaled at its lower end in thestandard 12. To the upper end of the tu bular'shaft 29 is fixed a signalarm 31 and to the corresponding end of the solid shaft 30 is also fixeda similar arm 32, the hub connections thereof being disposed in ofi-setrelation on the arms to permit the projecting ends of the latter toassume a common horizontal plane of motion.

For effecting the independent movements of the signal arms, theirrespective shafts are fixedly secured at their lower ends with thegrooved wheels and 34, respectively provided with the helical springs 35and 36, one end of each: spring being fixed to its respective wheelwhile the opposite end of the spring is held by the abutment 37, fixedto the interior of the case, the coils of the springs being arranged torotate and normally hold their respective signal arms in a closed orunobserved position against the stop member 27. For operating the signalarms into open positions of observation, their respective shafts arerotated against the action of the springs by means of the flexible lines38 and 39, one of the ends thereof be: ing fixed respectively to thegrooved wheels 83 and 3%, while their opposite ends are an tached to thehandle rods 40 and 41, slidable in the respective tubes 4L2 and 4:8. Thetubes are connected together side by side to one end of a coupling 44,the opposite end of the latter being also connected to a flexible tube45 arranged to inclose andguide the flexible lines 38 and 39 from thesignal case to the point of manual operation. A bracket 4:6 is fixed tothe tubes 12 and i3 and is provided with screw holes l? by means of nalstop section ll), the slots being arranged to slidably receive theprojecting pins 50, fined in the handle rods lO and all, the

outer ends ofthe rods being shaped to form finger grips 51.

ln Fig. l, t e handle rods 1-0 and 41' are shown respectively in theiroutward and inward positions, corresponding with the open and closedpositions of their connected signal arms, the operations of whicharefsimil iarly made either separately or jointly. As

indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and at, the arm 32 is sl t e stop 27.133 meansof the spring 36 acting t rough the wheel 34 and shaft'30, and foroperating this arm into open position the handle rod a1 is drawnoutwardly and turned within its tube into the position indicated bydotted lines and held therein by the pin 50 its engagement with thelateral stop slot This outward movement of the ban d 4 rod istransmitted to the arm through line 39, wheel 34: and shaft 30, andeiinst the opposite rotative action of the i mg 36. The closing movementof the rim is made by simply turning the handle rod in the oppositedirection until its pin the longitudinal slot l8, whereuponthe action ofthe spring 36 will cause the arm to be automatically returned to itsclosed position. It will thus be obvious that either signal arm may beindependently op-- erated into open position to indicate the directionin which the car is about to turn, or both arms may be thus operatedtogether by ci'igaging both finger grips and outwardly drawing thehandle rods at one time and jointly turning then in one direction, thestop slots in the tubes being positioned to receive the rod pins in thisturning movement and hold both arms extended to inclicate a stop signalfor a following car.

To provide signal arms readily observable under all weather conditions,the faces thereof are left; open, and are sectionally disposedv inangular relation in each arm, as indicated at 31 and 3-2", to permit therays of movement of the car as draining ledges from which the rain isautomatically discharged. lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. In a signal device for a motor car, a casing therefor having a lamp,a light passage in the casing leading from the lamp toward the forwardend of the car, and a pair of signal arms on the casing movable intoopen and closed positions, the open p0 sit-ions of the arms interceptingthe raysof light from said passages and deflecting them rearwardly ofthe car and the closed positions thereof permitting the rays of light toproject forwardly of the car.

3. In a signal device for a motor car, a

casing therefor having a lamp, means on said casing for supporting alicense plate, a light passage leading from the lamp toward the licenseplate, a light passage in the easing leading from the lamp toward theforvard end of the car, and signal arm on the casing movable into openand closed positio'n's, the open position of the arm intercepting theraysof light from said passage deflecting them rearwardly of the car andthe closed position thereof permitting the rays of li 'ht to projectforwardly of the car.

In a signal device for a motor car, a casing therefor having a lamp,means on said casing for supporting a license plate, a light passage inthe casing leading from the lamp toward the license plate, a light passage in the oasingleading from the lamp rearwardly of the car "andadapted to serve as a tail-light signal, a light passage in the casingleading from the lamp toward the ion ion

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forward end of the car, and a signal arm on the casing movable into openand closed p0 sitions, the open position of the arm inter-' cepting therays of light from said passage and deflecting them 'rearwardly of thecar and the closed position thereof permitting the rays of light toproject forwardly of the car.

5. A signal .ar'm. having angularly arranged open reflecting facesadapted to receive and distribute light, a cover flange at the upperedges of said reflecting faces, and a supporting hub for said arm.

Signed at New York. in .the county of New York and State of New York,this 14th day of August,A. :D. .1922.

. RALEIGH L. FRENCH.

